The Treasury has updated on the proposed 461-kilometre Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway, confirming its advancement into the Public Private Partnership (PPP) procurement phase. The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) will serve as the contracting authority, with the transaction advisor proposal report set for official publication on April 30.
According to the PPP Directorate's latest quarterly report released in April, the project aims to transform the A8 Mombasa-Nairobi road into a modern access-controlled tolled expressway.
The highway will expand from two lanes to a minimum four-lane dual carriageway, with a cost of Ksh466.81 billion (USD3 billion). It will run from Mlolongo in Machakos County to Bonje in Mombasa County.
The transaction advisor will assist in refining feasibility, financial structuring, and project packaging before investor engagement. The proposal report was first published on March 10 and will be officially issued on April 30.
This PPP is structured as a Privately Initiated Proposal (PIP) and classified as a priority under Kenya’s Medium-Term Plan IV.
The initiative seeks to reduce travel time from 10-8 hours to about 4 hours, improve traffic flow, reduce congestion, and enhance safety along the Northern Corridor.
It forms part of the Trans-African Highway (Northern Corridor), linking Nairobi and Mombasa while extending connectivity to East and Central African countries.
Meanwhile, the government is advancing related projects, including tolling on the Mombasa Southern Bypass, where feasibility studies are complete and procurement for a toll operator is underway.